Upperworld Ties
by Sedated-Smiles
Summary: Ever since the Barrier broke, your life had changed for the better. From meeting your best friends to adopting a Monster child, your life couldn't be better. That is, until you meet two unusual skelly bros ... (Rated M for future chapters)
1. Chapter 1

" **AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGG BLERGLE BLERGLE BLERGLE!"**

 **"EEEEP!"**

Young squeals and thundering footsteps echoed harshly against the walls.

"Alright you little rugrats," you smirked, quickly scooping up the children in your arms as they tried to zoom past you, "want some popcorn?"

 **"YEAH! POPCORN, POPCORN!"** The young little monster violently flailed in your arms.  
Frisk's head nodded furiously, brown hair flopping to and fro.

The two kid's struggles to escape you made you smirk and hug them tighter to you. Making them squeal even louder, you began spinning on one foot, laughing crazily. "Aha! My plan to demolish your eating habits with delicious unhealthy goodness is already succeeding with your submission! Mwahehehe!"

"_, NOOOOOOO!" The fluffy monster boy cried in vain.  
Frisk was struggling to sign their distressed version of your name on their fingers as you continued to spin the goofy tinies.

"And just what exactly are you doing, my silly children?"

You instantly stopped twirling and with a cry, fell to the floor in surprise. Clutching the kids close to your chest, your head – sore from the fair _thunk_ greeting it had given your hard wood floor – lifted up to gaze your eyes into that of familiar soft brown ones that seemed to be laced with mirth.

Standing in your doorway (and delicately closing said door) stood that of a tall creature of kindness – at least a good 6'5", with the softest, snow white fur you had ever felt. Her large feet tipped and tapped with every delicate step the former Queen took, claws ever so softly kissing your floor as she made her way towards you. A royal violet dress, respectfully flowing past her furry knees, draped over her form with a deep blue symbol of their history adorning the front. Her rather long ears dangled softly from the sides of her face, barely brushing her shoulders unless she had make a quick head movement.  
She took in your form before she had lifted a large paw to her snout and began to chortle.

Blushing red, you had let go of the children and quickly stood, helping the little squirming beings up before they rush towards the goat-like beauty before you. "Ah, sorry Tori! We were …um …"  
You swiftly snatched up a flat bag from inside a cabinet.  
"Popcorn?"

The latter chuckled and shook her head, soft ears gently swaying with her movements. "Oh, _, you're such a joy to have."

With a few minutes of pleading persuading the gentle giant, the four of you ended up strung across your living room couch, popcorn between you and Toriel, Frisk snuggled into their mother as your fluffy adopted brother sat in your lap, intensely watching the television program and cramming hand… uh… _paw_ fuls of popcorns into his waiting mouth.  
When the credits began scrolling down the blackened screen, Toriel smiled at you. Raising to her feet, careful to not drop the small human in her comforting arm, she nodded. "Thank you again, _, for watching over my child. I could never thank you enough."

You lifted the hand not wrapped around the now sleepy monster in your lap and brushed her off lightly. "Nonsense, Tori. I love watching over Frisk. Besides, Manny absolutely loves having someone to play with! Honestly, I should be the one thanking _you._ You're welcome here any time you want."

Sighing, Toriel just bent over to give you a slight hug, balancing a sleeping Frisk on her hip as she did so. You hugged the mother back just as tightly, careful as to not squish or awaken the sleepy monster ontop of you.

"Shall I return at noon next Friday?"

"Please. Should I fix us some fresh tea tomorrow morning, before you go to school?"

"That would be splendid, my child."

Smiling, the monster released your hold and dropped a paw on top of your head, giving your already messy hair a sweet and loving rub. Toriel then gave a small kiss to your forehead and Manny's.

"Goodnight, my child."

The two of you bid your goodbyes. Sighing after staring at the door for a handful of silent minutes, you scooped up the fluffy being curled into a ball and walked down the empty hallway. Reaching the end of the hallway, you stood in front of a… unique door. The door itself was average, yes, but it was layered with Crayola doodles, tiny claw marks and stickers of Wolverine, Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon and Digimon. Stifling a giggle, you pushed the door open. Inside the room was no different than the door. Action figures of both humans and monsters displayed on shelves and across the floor. Again, tiny claw marks shown on almost every piece of furniture and wall – to the point where it looked as if it was supposed to be there as a design in the wood. Pulling back the Monsters, Inc. blanket, you placed the snoozing young boy ontop of his matching bedspread, efficiently tucking him in as gentle as you could so you didn't wake him. You don't see why, though, because the boy wouldn't wake up for anything when he went to snooze town.

To thoroughly prove your point, the bundle spread out all six of his limbs in a dramatic stretch to fill the bed, head rolling off to the side of his pillow and releasing a mighty snore that could compete with an airplane taking off. Smirking, you rolled your eyes and placed his most prized possession, a mini plush version of himself you made for his second birthday, right next to his slumbering form. Instantaneously, two of his four little arms wrapped around the toy, the other two pulling the comforter you placed onto him over his goofy, smiling face.

God, how much you loved him.

Kissing where his head would be under the covers, you quietly stepped out of the room (after making sure his Batman night light is plugged in) and closed the door.  
Sluggishly, you lazily shuffled towards your plain ol' room, towards your plain ol' door, with your plain ol' bed that doesn't have cool stuff decorating it like your cool little brother's does, that cool lil' dude.

Ah, adulthood.

You honestly really wanted to decorate everything in sight with all your dorky needs, but you just couldn't afford to. You only bought Manny's things because… well… it makes him happy. You can live without a few plush anime toys for a little while longer if you get to see that goofy, crooked toothed smile every day.  
You gracefully belly-flopped onto your bed and successfully uncurled your ball of blanket to drape onto yourself, shutting off the lamp on your night stand.

Groaning, you slowly sunk into sleep while thinking about work tomorrow, but also the joy of seeing your little brother, Frisk and Tori in the morning, before you have to go. Maybe that will up the mood.

Tomorrow's another day.


	2. Chapter 2

_As corny as it may seem, you still remember it like it was yesterday… when the barrier broke._

 _You remember what you were wearing, too: just an old band tee shirt that you stole from your father, it being nearly twice your size. You didn't mind. You preferred to wear larger shirts to cover your rather curvy form. You loved that shirt and nearly slept in it every night.  
You missed your father dearly.  
You missed your mother just as much._

 _You were only 18 years old, excited to take the world by the reins and command it to your steer. Your eyes shined brightly with hopes and dreams, despite all the hardships you faced growing up. You had recently lost your parents to an uneventful accident with fate.  
You had lost your mother by sickness. During those months, you had rocketed through your schoolwork and finished all the projects and assignments before the class was even given them so you could skip the next couple of weeks to care for your ill mother. Father, as much as he wanted to do the same, had to continue working so he could afford the over-the-counter medication to sooth her pain. One day, while you sat patiently at your mother's side, holding her frail hand in worry, she kissed your face.  
"Keep love in your heart, _," she whispered kindly, caressing your soft skin with her thumb. "Always stay my curious flower. Accept everyone for who they are, not what they are. The world is filled with life and love, _. Help people see that, will you?"  
"Mom? What do you –"  
"Promise me?" She pleaded, her hand cupping your cheek. Her warm eyes found yours and wrapped them in a depressing yet earnest blanket of hope. Hope for what? The future? What exactly was she talking about? What did she know?  
"I promise, Mom."_

 _She passed in the most peaceful of ways that evening._

 _Your father and you had been depressed for such a long time, but tried with all your might to move on. After all, it's what Mom would have wanted. It was difficult, God was it difficult. You could remember your father sauntering into his room where he once shared with his lifelong lover, hearing his muffled sobs leak through the hallway.  
It had been awful._

 _Yet after a couple of years, the two of you had passed the depressed phase. Yes, you missed her oh, so much. You and your father had been very protective over each other, always making sure the other was well fed and at the upmost of health, both physically and emotionally. You had even begun working at a café shop to help pay for the bills and house essentials.  
Life wasn't perfect, but it was getting there._

 _Until your father left it._

 _The two of you had been walking late at night, coming from a diner that saved your lazy butt from cooking dinner that night. You lost to your father when you playfully fought to pay for the bill; the cheater acted like he was going to the restroom when actually he sprinted to the register and planted down the cash before you could yell at him.  
All he did was give you a loving noogie and said that he "still got it"._

 _You had been lightly shoving each other while Dad told you all the stupid shenanigans he and his friends got into when he was about your age when suddenly a black figure rushed passed the two of you, knocking into your father who efficiently knocked into you.  
"Hey! Gosh, the nerve of some people. Right, Dad?" You were angrily shaking your head at the running figure, an arm trying to hold up your father's side.  
When your father responded with a choked gasp, you felt warm liquid seep onto your arm holding him up.  
A knife was sticking out from a large weeping gash in his stomach.  
You screamed, setting your father down on the sidewalk and pressing desperately at the large wound, pressing the sides together with your blood-coated palms, screaming for help. Any help. Someone._

 _"_," he wheezed, clutching your shoulder tightly._

 _"No!" You shook your head violently. You were NOT having the same talk Mom gave you, with her last remaining breath. Don't you dare._

 _"_. _, it'll be alright."_

 _"NO IT WON'T! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" Your sobs rocked your voice in violent tremors as your hands pressed harder on the wound. The two of you laid in a warm pool of crimson and despair. The nearby flickering street light eliminated the pool with sickly reminders and fears.  
This couldn't be happening.  
It's all fake._

 _Cold hands stroked your matted hair lovingly.  
"Darling. Be who you are. Never let anyone change you."_

 _"Dad, no, I –"_

 _"Remember to love. Forgive. Cherish life. B-b-be kind to those who give it back. Hehe, as if I need to tell you that…"_

 _"Dad –"_

 _"Promise me, _." His dull eyes turned towards yours, as if keeping them open were a task itself. The hands on your hair moved to cup your face, shaking with effort._

 _But nobody came._

 _"I," you choked, "I promise, Dad. I promise. I promise. I promise. I prom –"_

 _His cold lips touched your forehead before he laid his head back down, in eternal rest._

 _That had been five years before your 18_ _th_ _birthday.  
You remembered their deaths so vividly.  
Yet you also remembered the day the barrier broke._

 _Everything seemed so peaceful that evening. You had just gotten off work, the café you began working at during your father's timeline of existence. You smelled as if coffee, vanilla and honey buns had a threesome ontop of your clothes. You were wearing that old band tee shirt you stole from Dad while doing his laundry one day. You remembered that you were smiling brightly. That day also happened to be the day when you also earned a raise from the café._

 _Mom and Dad would have been proud._

 _You remembered how your sneakers crunched on the asphalt road as you crossed it, feeling the little tiny rocks. You remembered the wind picking up in a sweet gust, faintly brushing your (color) hair with it. It was almost as if it were comforting you.  
Then suddenly a bright, seven colored disk stretched across the sky, rippling through the air and covered the entire world. A strong blow of air followed in suit of its master, causing people and everything from trees to grass blades to bend at its command. Screams echoed off the city's buildings and cars, shouts of the world was ending, even after such a beautiful display._

 _But you knew better._

 _The legend of Monsters wasn't a stranger to you; your parents strongly believed in them, as did their parents before them and so on. You didn't know why that mattered so, to believe that strange creatures lived under our feet, in another world yet to be discovered by Humans. Yet the talk of it made your parents beam like lanterns and spew excited gibberish, and that was enough to make you believe in it as well. If something so mysterious made the people you love thrilled to discover and accept it, you would believe in it, too._

 _You smiled even more so, looking into the sky with hope and wonder as the wind whipped your hair._

 _"Things are going to be different."_

 _And different, they were. Not long after that, the streets began to fill with creatures of the unimaginable. You saw humanoid animals, tiny volcanoes, elemental beings, mysterious frogs, buzzing insect-like creatures, and so much more. Your heart filled with an indescribable joy. 'Look at all these beautiful mysteries!' your brain screamed as you leaned outside your house window.  
'Look at their freedom!'_

 _The world, apparently, did not see them in the same light you casted._

 _It was as if a World War III had been released… not an actual war, no, but in politics and peace. Humans immediately showed hatred, fear and disgust towards the new arrivals, threatening to send them all back from where they came from. The Monsters, whom had just escaped their dark prison, were terrified yet angered at the 'hospitality' they were given. Yet, they did not fight the Humans.  
Instead they built their own little community off the coast of the Human cities. There was never an actual separation line between the communities, but it was like an unspoken boundary. A rule.  
They split their homes away from each other._

 _Yet every day you will see both Monsters and Humans on the other's community: either trying to shop for items, work their job, or Humans just cruelly tormenting the Monsters in their safe space. It was common for Monsters to take up Human jobs, thus leading them to cross the unspoken line to attend to their duties.  
That didn't mean Humans still didn't stare at them in distain._

 _The whole thought made you physically ill. Monsters belonged on Earth just as much as Humans did. It is their home, too. It's not their fault that Humanity became jealous and decided they didn't like to share.  
Everywhere you walked in the city, you could see many Human-Owned shops with "NO MONSTERS ALLOWED" signs hanging in their windows._

 _Wow. We really suck as a species._

 _All across the news swarmed with racism: Humans constantly hurting Monsters and calling them freaks, Monsters angrily flaring their powers in a natural threatened reaction, calling all Humans heartless.  
(On another note, the only Monster that seemed to be socially praised was the shining star Mettaton, a famous robot built down in the Undergrounds by the very intelligent and gifted Dr. Alphys, a Monster whom you later became best friends with, along with her fearless and ferocious girlfriend, Undyne.)_

 _One day you were talking on the phone with Alphys about the current subject of your affections, a television show by the name of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. (Some time ago, you had invited the little dinosaur-like lady and her lover to have an anime marathon, absolutely stoked to show them new shows they had yet to see. Least to say, the two of you were a jumping, hugging, squealing mess while Undyne cackled at you, calling you "adorable nerds".)  
While you were trying to hide your fangirl voice, considering that you were in public and didn't want to be seen as that one chubby girl geek, you briskly walked past a dark alley when you heard a soft wail.  
Your heart shot up into your throat and you nearly dropped your phone.  
'What the hell was that?'  
Ducking your head around the corner, you peered into the dark abyss, listening to tiny sniffles and sobs.  
It… it sounded like a child._

 _"_?" A stuttering voice laced with worry spoke through the receiver. "A-are you th-th-there? What's wrong? Are y-y-you hurt? Do you want m-m-me to call Undyne?"_

 _"I… no. I'm okay. I hear something, though," you whispered into the phone. 'Although,' you're brain began to ponder, 'what if it's just a robber trying to lure me in by pretending to be a helpless baby! What fiend!' "But don't hang up. Just in case."_

 _"G-g-got it!"_

 _Cautiously, you stepped into the darkness. A feeling of dread rested into your bones when you spotted a … box?  
"I see a box. I think there's something in it."_

 _"_, don't you d-d-dare loo –"_

 _"Too late." And it was. Before you could second guess yourself (or Alphys, for that matter), you opened the box and peered inside._

 _Your audible gasp sent Alphys freaking out and squawking your name over and over in fear._

 _A baby.  
A real baby.  
A __**Monster**_ _baby._

 _The creature opened its golden eyes and sobbed again. Large bat-like ears cupped the sides of the baby's face, a tuff of hair at the top of its head and standing above all the shorter hairs of its fur. Dirt and burn marks littered its violet fur. Meeting your gaze, four fluffy and chubby arms lifted themselves and stretched, tiny claws reaching for your attention. The creature resembled a cuter, purple version of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, but with a different nose, shorter ears and a tail like a dinosaur's._

 _"_? What's that noise?! Are you alright?! Answer m-m-me, please!"_

 _"It's a baby, Alphys," you whispered, eyes never leaving the large golden ones. "It's a baby Monster."_

 _ **"OH MY GOD! WHERE ARE YOU I'M GOING TO PICK YOU UP WHO COULD HAVE DONE THIS WHERE ARE THEIR PARENTS IS IT OKAY WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH IT WE NEED TO FEED IT AND –"**_ __

 _"Alphys." You placed your hands gently under the baby's second set of underarms and lifted it up, closing the space between you. Opening your hoodie, you brought the child to your chest and zipped it back up, warming you both. Tiny paws clutched your old band shirt and shivers vibrated through the small fluffy body. You could feel a small tail curl against your stomach in comfort. "I'm keeping him."_

 _"You WHAT? _, think of the risks you're putting yourself int –"_

 _"I know what I'm doing, Alphie," you pulled the phone away from your ear and pressed a button. Instantaneously, a hologram square popped up from a little light next to the phone camera. (All hail the almighty smarty pants Alphys for her techno upgrade skills!) The little dinosaur woman's worried expression painted the screen as you brought the hologram square closer to the small furry bundle in your other arm. The Monster boy giggled at the hologram and tried to reach for it, only for his claws to run through it, creating small glitching squares._

 _"I hope you know what you are doing, _."_

 _And you knew exactly what you were doing. You had lost your family; why not start another? You're by no means replacing your parents – may them rest in peace – and your wonderful friends give you the feeling of home, anyways. They're your new family. This child needed a home._

 _That's exactly what you gave him._

 _You named him Maniel _. You arranged health care for him and an educational route for when he was old enough. You also researched his background: his parents had apparently been murdered by Humans in a fire and he was left in an alley to starve or from the bitter cold of night. It surprised you that you were allowed to start a life for Manny, considering all the racist hate crime against Monsters. You were pretty sure that your request would be denied, a Human adopting a Monster. "How obscured!" A harsh whisper hissed in the room when you declared your request to the receptionist. It's a statement that is quite difficult to speak without the entire room going completely silent. "Does she even know what she's doing?"_

 _The perky receptionist across the counter had a stretched, forced smile paint across her Botox face. Red lipstick smeared her teeth in her attempts to not vomit all the while pulling the fake nice shtick._

 _"Ma'am, are you sure_ _ **this**_ _is the child you wa –"_

 _"I'm pretty sure I made myself clear," you steadily remarked, glaring at her. From the time the Barrier broke and Monsters roamed the world, you had become much more daring and confident. Sure, you are still incredibly insecure and rather quiet, scared to say anything wrong to anger anyone. But when the situation boiled down to the new maternal instinct you gained while having Manny in your arms, or even when your newfound friends were hurt or insulted, you had become downright strict to see your way through it with a hardhead and rather vulgar attitude._

 _Geez, you sure are your mother's child._

 _You treated Manny as both your brother and son. He is such a wild thing, sometimes! Many nights you had spent running around your small apartment complex, trying to catch the little fuzz ball for bath time, bed time, time for school, dinner, and even for cuddles. From all the ruckus Manny caused , you had been kicked out by your renter. You soon moved a little over the community line towards the Monster community. You received many dark looks from Monsters, but you didn't mind._

 _You understand wholeheartedly, and even felt as if you deserved such stares. You would never return the looks they gave you but instead smiled and greeted them, confusing them even more as you left their sights.  
It's okay if they hate you. You're moving here for Manny._

 _You absolutely fell in love with your neighbor, Toriel Dreemurr. You moved into a shabby but alright building right next to a beautiful, large mansion. The roomy lawn had gorgeously cut grass, as if it was actually a green carpet, and their trees and shrubs were absolutely divine in their variety of shapes! It was safe to say that this house was the very finest in the Monster community. Why, you may ask? Because it belonged to Toriel Dreemurr, former queen of the Underground and adopted mother of the Monster Ambassador, Frisk Dreemurr, the very Human who saved the Monster species and gave you your new life.  
You owed your very happiness to Frisk and would always love them._

 _Tori had treated you nothing less than the daughter she had always wanted. As soon as you unpacked your junk and sent Manny on the mission to decorate his room, she had knocked on your door with a beautiful cinnamon and butterscotch pie and a tiny Frisk hiding behind her leg. You invited her into your home and introduced Manny to Frisk, the very first Human he has ever met other than yourself. Those two hit it off the second they saw each other. They deliberately pounced on one another and began playing on the floor. You and Toriel just watched and talked with each other while you gave her tea and she shared her pie.  
She was just like your mother.  
You nearly cried from how nice she treated you._

 _Toriel introduced you to the school she had begun teaching at, and you joyously declared to send Manny so he can learn in a safe environment and even learn more about his own kind. You eventually offered to babysit Frisk while she is busy at home or working on paperwork, which she declined at first until you pointed out how Manny and Frisk played so well with each other, which eventually won her SOUL over._

 _Which lead you to this exact point in time._

 _It has been approximately three years you've been friends with Alphys and Undyne, and nearly one for Toriel. These few years of your 22 year old life had been nothing but joyous and heartfelt.  
You had never been so happy._

 _You are fairly certain your parents would be proud of your newfound family, trust and confidence.  
You looked forward to every day, waking up with a little brother to care for and friends who sincerely worried about your wellbeing. It filled you so brightly to just know that you had a new mother figure – no, never a replacement, but a new chapter in you life – who stroked your hair when you were sick or depressed and gave you advice and affection that you so desperately needed yet never knew you did.  
You were filled with a whole new light to see life in. You were filled with even more curiosity and hope. You were filled with dreams and happiness._

 _You were filled with DETERMINATION._


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank you and come again," you smiled politely at your customer as you slid them their receipt and change for the cappuccino you gave them.

"You know you can just talk to be like a normal friend, _," the goofy orange cat Monster smirked at you, his McDonald's cap slightly sliding off his ears. Rolling your eyes, you began untying your apron and folding it.

"You know the customer-worker regulations better than I do, Roy. No friendly pow wow unless I'm off duty."

"But you're literally about to take five!" The man groaned, dramatically flailing his paws to his face and making a rather silly strained expression. Chuckling, you placed the folded apron under the table top, walking around the counter. "Well, I'm right here, aren't I? Come on, let's go."

Sighing, the cat man grabbed his cappuccino and followed you out the doubled doors. Ah, yes. Roy was one of your close friends you had made when the Barrier broke. He's more overly known as "Burgerpants", which was the result of a highly embarrassing (yet slightly humorous) event back when he worked down in the Underground for Mettaton. The only difference was that now because he works at McDonald's, his nickname upgraded to "McBurgerpants". Taking pity on the cat, you simply just call him by his first name nobody cared to remember. You met him when he was grumbling about working yet again at a burger joint, his plans to be big crushed by all the hate crime against Monsters. You began talking with him and eventually befriended the rather goofy feline.

He always acted weird around you, weirder than his usual self, like if you complimented him the fur on his face would turn beat red and begin sweating as he will stare at you oddly and for a long time. There were a few incidents where you caught the man literally right behind you, slightly bent over and … smelling your hair? And once, when the two of you were sitting next to one another while he took his break, you felt his tail slightly wrap around your calf.  
You thought this was a cute way of him trying to show his friendship affections.

I mean, after all – there's no possible way he would like _you._ Nobody could!

The two of you stepped outside, standing against the wall of the café you just exited. Roy pulled out a pack of cigarettes and silently offered you one, which you politely declined with a shake of your head. Smiling at you, he lifted the cancer stick to his mouth anyways, lighting the end. The two of you watched the black tendrils of smoke curl in the air and disappear into nothingness. A silence between you two was always comforting.  
But today you felt like ruining it.

"How's work, by the way?" You turned your head towards him and asked, watching him inhale slowly and the end of the cigarette glow bright red.

"_, they gave me a name tag with 'McBurgerpants' on it. It's not goin' so hot."

"Ah, Roy, I'm sorry," you groaned in despair, turning your body so you could hug him. God, he's never going to be happy at this rate. Life seems suckier for him than it was back in the Underground! You felt and heard him take a sharp intake from his cigarette and began hacking. Scared, you let go of him and began rubbing his back, helping him breathe. After a moment of sputtering and coughing, you picked up his forgotten cappuccino and brought it to his lips, attempting to get him to drink. He blatantly stared at you while the liquid just rolled off his chin, mouth slightly open. His fur was red again, and eyes huge.

"Hey," you called, rubbing his shoulder. "You're scaring me. You okay, Roy?"

Snapping out of his awkward trance, he shook his head and wiped away the liquid on his chin. "Yep! Everything's cool! Nothing's wrong! I'm A-Okay!"

"Alright," you stretched, eyes narrowed at him. You didn't believe him one bit, but you decided to let it slide. He's already putting up with crap, he doesn't need you nagging him, either. "Anyways, I got to get back at work, okay? See you later."

"Ah, right! Later, buddy," he smirked, nearly tripping as he turned around to leave.  
What a goof.

Stepping back inside, you walked around the counter and pulled on your apron. 'Time to finish the day before you go to the grocery store with Manny later,' you mentally sighed.

You served your seventh customer their order when suddenly the door slammed open, completely knocking the little bell off and sent it only God knows where. A mighty cackle of _NYEH HE HE HEEE_ bounced drastically in the small room. You looked up to see a rather tall skeleton – nearly the size of your beloved Tori – standing behind your counter, beaming bright and perfect teeth at you in a forever grin.  
"YOU, HUMAN," the skeleton began, gloves shooting to his hip bones in a dramatic pose, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SEEK ONLY YOUR FINEST OF DELICATE CCINO OF THE FRAPPU!"

You stared at the skeleton, watching his red cape fly in a nonexistent breeze before you registered his words. "..Wh…what?"  
It took you nearly ten seconds to realize what he wanted.

You snorted.

"Oh, oh God," you giggled, pressing a hand to your heart as you nearly toppled over, "I am so sorry I didn't understand at first! Oh geez, coming right up!" Smiling stupidly, you quickly made his frappuccino and handed it over. You jumped when you saw that the tall skeleton Monster was studying you deeply, grin stretched widely across his skull with glee. "THANK YOU, HUMAN. I UNDERSTAND HOW AMAZING THAT I, PAPYRUS, AM AND HAVE COMPLETELY BLOWN YOUR MIND. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, HUMAN."

Smiling, you handed over his frappuccino as he paid for it. "Well, you are certainly an interesting person. Have a lovely day, Papyrus!"  
"AND TO YOU AS WELL, HUMAN," he bellowed, swooping down for his drink and with a ferocious _NYEH,_ leaped through the doors.

This had to be the best day you've ever had at work, ever. 

* * *

"Okay, and then he was like _NYEH HE HE HE!_ and just shot out of the café," you gloated, thrusting your hands onto your hips and cackled in a high yet masculine voice in imitation.

"No way," Manny muttered, eyes wide with interest.

Just as you planned, the two of you were wheeling around a buggy in the nearby grocery store for dinner and other fridge and cabinet goodies. Manny wriggled his way into the kiddie seat of the buggy, chubby short legs kicking away while one set of arms had their elbows propped up on the handle bars, holding his curious head up as you pushed him around and talked about work. His other set of arms were protectively holding a weird Monster lollipop to his mouth. You rolled the cart towards a little sample stand run by a rather pretty cute spider Monster, picking up two mini donuts and handed one to your little brother.

"Yeah way," you smiled, biting into the donut. Oh sweet baby Batman, it's sooooo good! Thanking the pretty spider woman, you exchanged some of your cash for a box of the delicious donuts. Muffet, you later learned her name, giggled at you and even gave you a complimentary bottle of spider cider.

"So he's like a _super hero?!"_ You placed a hand over your mouth as to hide your giggle. Manny totally likes this guy! And, to be honest, you were glad. Manny had been surrounded by a lot of bad things for a lot of his life. It would be nice for him to have a role model.

"He's _definitely_ a super hero, buddy," you smiled, ruffling the poof of hair on his head as he tried to swat your hand away.

You rolled the cart down a sauce isle, deciding whether to purchase more condiments, when you heard it.  
The whispers.

"Do you see that?" A spiteful whisper asked someone.

"Oh my God, is she really pushing around a Monster spawn?"

"Wow, what a fucking freak!"

"Monster lover."

"It's so fucking _ugly._ "

"Why does she have it?"

They continued and seemed to grow in numbers and octaves. It seemed that the whole isle seemed to have you and Manny as the center of attention. You knew you should have ignored it and mind yourself to not act up in front of Manny. You needed to set a good example, after all.

But those strong thoughts sliced through your mind when they began talking about Manny.

You were gripping a can of spaghetti sauce so hard it cracked, coating you and the floor in red and orange. As calmly as possible with an emotionless face, you slowly lifted your head up and faced the crowd.

They were silent, waiting for your response.

"Excuse _you_ ," you whispered bitterly, head ever so slightly turning in boiling anger. "I don't think my life is anybody's _fucking_ business. So I kindly suggest that you should all mind yourselves before I'm arrested for mass murder." You spoke with such quiet bitterness, it was surprising that anybody heard you. But the way they reacted was proof that they did because every single Human rushed their buggies out of the isle like nothing even happened.

Sighing, you flicked your arms towards the ground in attempts to shake of the tomato chunks. "Aw, geez," you muttered, cringing at the glop mess. "Hey, Manny, I'll be right back. I'm going to find a mop so nobody has to cl – Manny?"

You had turned towards your brother to inform him of your leaving when you saw large tears in his eyes. His ears were completely folded downward in sadness, little arms wrapped around himself, tail tucked between his shaking legs.

Oh, no.

"Oh, God, Manny, I – I didn't mean for you t – I just got so… oh God," your voice cracked as you felt your own tears swell in your eyes. Shit, you really fucked up. You scared him! You immediately lifted him out of the buggy and cradled him in your arms. "I'm _so_ sorry, Manny."

"_-_-_?" He stuttered, shifting so he could look up at you. "Am I really _that_ ugly?"

You could have sworn your heart literally stopped beating.

"Oh my GOD, NO," you practically shrieked, squeezing Manny tighter to you. "Why on Earth would you say that?!" Sniffling, he crawled out from your grip and stood a little away from you, letting you see him better.

"_, I have fur," he whispered, subconsciously rubbing one of his arms. You stared at him for the longest of time before you blinked.  
And snorted.

"Phhbbbbtt," you rolled into yourself, holding your chest. Oh my GOD. "MANNY! TORI HAS FUR TOO YA BIG GOOF BALL!" You wheezed before picking yourself back up and calmed down, whipping a stray tear away. "And she's still gorgeous," you added, looking down at him lovingly. "Besides, fur is so nice to hug!"

"But _," Manny tried to reason, pulling at his ears. "I have big ears!"

You tried to hold in your giggly remark but couldn't resist and blurted it out. "All the better to hear you with, my dear ~ "

"_!" He groaned loudly, flopping onto the ground as you giggled. "Hey," you smiled, picking him up. "So what you have big ears? That just means that you have super duper hearing powers, like super heroes!" You could see his eyes brighten with that comment, but dull when he thought of more flaws of himself. You inwardly groaned.

"But," he whimpered, rubbing his sides, "I have a tail!"

"That wags cutely when you get really excited about going to the park or when you get a new action figure," you added, smiling.

Blushing, Manny shot out all four of his arms, spreading them out for all to see. "I have four arms, _!"

"Dude," you smirked, "quadruple the high fives!" With that, Manny got super excited and doubly high fived both of your hands where all of his paws connected to one. You smiled and scooped him up in a bear hug. "And," you added, "double the hugs."

He only seemed to snuggle into your chest more, all of his paws clutching onto your shirt. You just calmly rubbed his back in soothing circles.

"Manny," you started, "it doesn't matter what you look like. It doesn't matter what anybody looks like, whether they're Human or Monster, or any other beings we have yet to discover." You pulled him away and whipped away his spare tears.  
"In the end, it's only the Soul that matters – it's who you are. People… people just don't know that yet. I'm honestly not really sure if they ever will. They're just… they're scared of things they don't understand, and yet they never give it a chance.

"But believe me when I tell you this," you said seriously, cupping his furry face to make him look directly at you, "The fact that you're a Monster will _never_ make me love you any less, Manny. Don't you dare ever think that I would want you any other way. You're perfect just the way you are. Never change yourself just to make others happy, got it?"

Hiccupping, his little head bobbed up and down in a nod. "O-okay."

Sighing, you hugged him again before sitting him back in the buggy.

When you straightened your back, you heard a quiet gasp behind you.

"HUMAN… DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT?"


	4. Chapter 4

You whipped your head back so fast that you made your neck crack. Standing behind you was Papyrus, the ever so delightful skeleton Monster you had met in the café. He looked as if you just offered him your dying breath. His gloved hands were placed ontop of his heaving large chest, eyes leaking water. Your heart nearly caught in your throat. You've seen too many people crying today and you just can't take it! You were about to lecture Papyrus and Manny about making you feel this way until you spotted another being behind the tall skeleton.

It was another skeleton Monster, just like Papyrus, but also the complete opposite. Instead of being of tower built, lean structure, he was rather short (barely an inch or two shorter than you) and …well… wide? You couldn't exactly say he was 'chubby' …he's a skeleton, after all. A rather odd expression was etched onto the front of his skull as he stared at you with pupil-like dots in his eye sockets. You were a little unnerved at the way he stared at you… he never looked away. And to top it all off, his face was blue.  
Is that bad? Is he okay? Is that normal for a Monster? You never saw Tori, Undyne or Alphys turn blue before. You weren't sure what to do.

To redeem the awkward tension, you slowly pulled your eyes off of the 'chubby' skeleton and glanced upward at Papyrus. "Did I mean what? I don't understand, Papyrus. And why are you cr –"

You broke off into a squeak when the large skeleton swooped you up and into his arms, intensely staring at you. "ABOUT HUMANS AND MONSTERS. ABOUT LOVING PEOPLE FOR THEIR SOUL. DID YOU MEAN IT?"

You …almost felt offended. Well, of course you meant it! But… they're Monsters. They probably haven't even met a nice human before, up here in the Surface. Your slight anger died down. Aw, geez. You sure did feel guilty for being mad.

"Every word," you answered seriously, staring just as intensely at him as he did you. The quiet moment seemed to instantly pass after you said those two words, as he smiled the biggest smile you've ever seen and tossed you into the air. Surprised, you let out an awkward cry before he caught you, spinning around. "OH, JOYOUS HUMAN FRIEND," he cheered, setting you down. You had to lean against the isle wall in attempt to steady your dizzy self before you took a nose dive into the floor. Wow, he sure is strong. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WISH TO ACCOMIDATE YOU AND YOUR TINY MONSTER FRIEND TO DINNER TONIGHT!"

A bunch of emotions crawled through you at once, and you were pretty sure they showed themselves on your face. First off, he called you his friend! Woah! You felt so happy! Then he called Manny your 'friend'. Phhbbbt! If only he knew your relationship with Manny; he'd totally flip out!

And then he invites you over for dinner? He doesn't even know your name! And the only reason you knew his is because he liked to say it so often. How could he trust you so easily? That could be so dangerous! Doesn't he know how horrible humans are?

"Oh, Pap," you began, flailing your hands in front of you. "I couldn't appose! I only just met you this very morning! You don't actually know what kind of Human I really am. I could be bad for all you know! Please, think this through!"

Papyrus simply blinked at you, then glanced down towards your chest. You blushed deeply and turned your head. Well, that was random as heck! …does he even know what breasts are? Oh my GOD, _, HE MAY BE A SKELETON BUT HE'S NOT STUPID! Either way, you felt immensely embarrassed to have his eyes roaming your front. Glancing up, you remembered the other skeleton, and he too was staring at your chest.  
Oh… oh this is so awkward.  
You were burning red.

"H…Hello?" you tried, awkwardly kicking the ground with a shoe. What the literal fuck, _?

"Human," Papyrus whispered (shocker), eyes finally breaking boob contact and looking into your eyes. "You are a good Human. I know you are. Please join us."

"FREE FOOD!" A screech behind you echoed as a sudden weight pounced and latched onto your back, sending you crying out and flopping over onto your belly.

" _Oh my_ _ **GOD**_ _, Manny!"_ you wheezed and snorted, pushing the both of you up and off the ground. "Thanks for being a little jerk, you fuzz ball!" He only cackled in response and crawled upwards to your hair, where he curled ontop of like a weird cat.  
You blushed and rubbed the back of your head.

"Ah," you started, glancing up at Papyrus. God, he was a freaking _tower_ down here! "You never actually got my name. It's _, by the way. You don't have to remember it. It's not that great," you finished with a mutter. Yet you pulled on a genuine smile and pulled said fuzz ball into your arms and gave him a loving noogie. "This here is my little brother, Manny!"

"BROTHER?!" He screeched, gloves shooting towards your adopted family member and holding Manny close to his eyes. You bashfully scratched the back of your head, nodding.  
"Yeah, well, I found him when he was a baby and –"

"HE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU!" Papyrus spun Manny around as if they've known each other for years. Unlike you, Manny enjoyed the dizzy spinning and clung to his new role model. You stared at them and cracked a crooked grin.  
"Yeah, ya caught me – he's my identical twin brother. Darn, and to think we almost got away with it," you said in a villain voice, snapping your fingers with a swing of your arm as if it was an inconvenience of your 'biological' relationship with Manny.

Placing Manny ontop of his shoulder, he took a heroic pose, cape once again flowing in the nonexistent wind. "DEAR HUMAN, NOTHING CAN ESCAPE PAST THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He cackled loudly, Manny copying him. Oh dear god.

"ALSO," he boomed, exaggeratingly side stepping to the left. It appeared that the smaller skeleton had hid behind the taller one, as if he were a child. He still didn't notice that his hiding spot was uncovered; he currently had his bony hands covering his eye sockets, with his face still blue and his 'chubby' body shaking.

…Is he okay?

"THIS IS MY LAZY BONES BROTHER, SANS! SANS, DO NOT BE RUDE. GREET THE HUMAN AND HER BROTHER!" Sans jolted out of his thoughts and shot his eye sockets open, instantly staring at you then quickly averted his eyes towards Papyrus.  
Suddenly, his awkward expression dropped harder than a bowling ball off a tower and he pulled on a wide toothy grin and lazy smooth eyes.

"hey there," he drawled out, stuffing his arms into the pockets of his blue hoodie. You were honestly shocked to hear his deep, baritone voice. You could actually feel your heart speed up slightly. Seriously, how did something so deep come from a being so small?  
This day just… is just completely interesting.

"Ah, hey," you politely nodded. A lock of your hair flew against your forehead. You reached up to grumpily tuck it back in its rightful place until you felt something.

Goo.

"Oh. My. **GOD** ," you groaned and felt your entire face rush with blood.  
The spaghetti sauce.  
The spaghetti sauce can that exploded onto you and the floor when you squeezed it too hard.

You felt like you were literally about to die in embarrassment. Slapping your hands onto your face to attempt to hide the shame, you furiously shook your head back and forth. Wow. You and Alphys really _are_ alike.

"I am so so so so so soooo sorry this is so disgusting and rude and oh my god what an awful first impression oh dear oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no I'm so flipping sorry oh my g –"

"HUMAN, I DID NOT KNOW YOU ADORED SPAGHETTI AS MUCH AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOES!" Papyrus cackled, placing Manny onto his little feet. "BUT I STILL WONDER, WHY DID YOU HURT THE SPAGHETTI SAUCE CAN IN THE FIRST PLACE, HUMAN? WHAT DID IT EVER DO TO YOU?"

You gulped and looked away. They saw the whole thing, even to the beginning when you squeezed the can.  
They saw _everything._

"I… I.." you stared at the ground, bottom lip slightly quivering. You probably look a pathetic sight: a short chubby young woman covered head to toe with red sauce, eyes about to overflow with tears. You can NOT believe you just did that. You're the worst person ever. Horrible. A disgrace.  
"I-I-I-I am s-s-so sorry," you finally cracked, voice barely over a whisper. You felt like trash. "I can't believe you saw _everything._ Oh god, you must think I'm the worst Human ever. I'm so horrible. I'm awful. So disgusting. So grotesque. S -"

Before you could analyze the frightened yet comforting words of Papyrus, you felt cold hard fingers wrap around your wrists, pulling them away from your face. You let out a small chocked cry of surprise and sadness when you felt a wet cloth wipe at the sauce and tear tracks on your face. Opening your eyes, you spotted Sans, who was too busy concentrating on the sauce and tears to notice your staring.

Where did he even get that cloth?

His pupil-like lights in his dark eye sockets shot towards your own eyes when you released a small sniffle sound.

"you're one of the nicest humans we've ever come across," he muttered, eyes never wavering. You forced yourself not to gulp right there. "and you're gonna come eat grub with us tonight."

"HUMAN," Papyrus peered over his brother with Manny once again on his shoulder like an excited parrot, both of them looking pleadingly at you, "PLEASE JOIN US FOR DINNER?"

"I-I don't kno –"

" _PLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE!"_ You were suddenly yanked away from Sans' light touches to being sandwiched between a tall skeleton and a tiny fuzz ball, both screaming and pleading, hopping up and down like toddlers who weren't getting what they wanted.

You stood there for nearly a minute, taking all of it in. Your little brother just found a role model that was basically an adorable child trapped in a grown male Monster's body, who had a brother that was basically a (sexy?) grown male Monster trapped in an adorable child's body, all the while you are bathed in red sauce and am being screeched at by two very determined Monsters.  
You glanced over at Sans, raising an eyebrow. He merely shrugged, smirking at your situation.

You sighed. Thanks for the help.

"Fine, but I need to get a change of clothes from home so I can take a ba –"

"NO NEED," the tall skeleton cried, scooping literally all of you into his long arms and practically pranced out of the doubled doors, ignoring all your grunts and whines about how he left your buggy of groceries and the mess you wanted to clean up.

"WE HAVE CLOTHES FOR YOU AT HOME, HUMAN!"

You ended up in the front of Tori's house.

You and Manny exchanged glances. "You… you guys _live_ here?"

"yeah. nice get-up, huh?" Sans shuffled into the doorway that Paps threw open before charging into the house. Sans looked over his shoulder, eye pricks lazily eyeing you. You could do nothing but blink.

"But… Tori lives here."

Sans's eye lights that stared at you without a care had widened. He turned his whole body to face you, as if he needed to see you completely in order to tell if you're lying. "come again?"

"T-T-Tori? Ah, sorry," you blushed and scratched the back of your head awkwardly. "Toriel. Toriel Dreemurr. And her child, Frisk. They live here."

He never changed his stance nor his stare. "how do you know tori and the kid?"

You tilted your head. 'I guess you're not the only one who calls Toriel that.' "Well," you began, pointing to the plain and tiny house next to this beautiful god haven, "we're neighbors, first off. Secondly, I met her by my best friends Alphys and Undyne."  
He stared at you for at least a minute. You subconsciously pushed Manny behind you. This guy's not really giving off the friendlier vibe his brother did.

"huh." It looked like he was about to say more but a small being wiggled their way around his rather wide form and literally pounced onto you, sending both you and Manny to the ground.

"FRISK!" The two of you cried in glee to see the small child grinning down at you. They were currently on your belly with Manny under your arm. You instantly swooped both of the children up into a big bear hug and kissed the top of their heads. "Ah, nothing like having both my babies with me," you were a giggling mess as the kids trapped in your arms ignored you and cuddled with each other instead. Dear god they're _so cute._ You heard a deep sound of someone clearing their throat and a cute giggle behind you and turned towards the doorway. A flustered Sans with his hoodie pulled up over his blushing face and a smiling Toriel stood in the doorway.

"Come on in, my children," Tori smiled sweetly, pulling an arm out in greeting. "Let's get you cleaned up! You look redder than the time I complimented you on your beautiful Sou –"

"OKAY SHOW ME WHERE THE BATHROOM IS!" You squealed in embarrassment and unceremonically _zoomed_ into the room. You felt extremely weird when Tori talked about your Soul, since she can apparently see it –but having her talk about it in front of another Monster you just met? Toriel, please!

Toriel's beautiful laughter and Sans's baritone chuckles followed you into your speedy hiding place.


	5. Chapter 5

You felt sooooo good. You had taken a hot shower in one of Tori's many bathrooms. It was so much more spacious than your little bitty bathroom next door. You had just changed into spare clothing that Tori gave you – a nice dress shirt and a pair of jeans Alphys had left. You were currently lying on the floor, breathing in the moist clean air. It felt too good.  
Sighing, you pushed yourself off up the cool tiled flooring. As much as socializing made your stomach turn, it would be rude to ditch the dinner by just locking yourself in the bathroom.

Besides, Manny's down there.

You opened the bathroom door only to be screamed at and swept up by a miraculous fish lady. Undyne laughed in triumph as she sprinted down the stairs with you over one of her broad scaly shoulders. You squealed and began nagging at her until you realized you weren't the only one in this situation. Alphys's paws flailed around, trying to balance herself and get Undyne's ignoring attention. Her glasses were crooked and face as red as yours were.  
"UNDYNE, PLEASE!" You cried, legs kicking wildly. "I'M TOO HEAVYYYYYY!"

"UNDYNE, D-D-DREAR," Alphys tried, flailing just as much as you, "P-P-PLEASE PUT US D-D-DOWN?"

"NEVER!" Undyne's feet loudly met the bottom of the stairs, echoing through the mansion. She began trudging into the living room.  
"AHAHAHA!" She cackled in victory, never stopping her running feet. Jesus, how far can this woman _run?_ How is she even _holding_ you?! "THE DAMSELS ARE **MINE** FOR THE TAKING!"

"Not if **we** can help it!" Both Frisk and Manny were clothed in sweaters that Toriel once made to look like armor. The little rascals also seemed to have snuck past Tori in the kitchen because they had kitchen colanders ontop of their heads – pieces of hair and fur sticking out from the strainer holes. Duct tape wrapped around their knees as shiny 'metal' padding. They thrusted their cardboard swords threateningly above their heads.

"Oh YEAH, PUNKS?!" Undyne smirked, flashing her razor sharp piranha teeth. She suddenly threw both you and Alphys into the air, sending you both screaming and clutching each other for dear life. Papyrus commanded to keep us captive – to which he gladly did when he caught the two of you as easily as Undyne did – while she summoned a very dull colored spear too weak to actually hurt the kids. With a mighty roar, she sword fought with the Determined Duo.

"NYEH HE HE HE!" Papyrus laughed, hugging you and Alphys tighter. The both wheezed and struggled to breathe. "THE UNBEATABLE UNDYNE WILL DEFEAT THE SMALL PEOPLE!"

You felt as if you were about to pass out. The blood ringing in your ears was the only sound you could decipher other than precious Pappy's excited childlike wonder.

"ey, bro, i can take it from here."

You felt an odd tingle sensation and you were certain it was because of blood loss from circulation. It was like the feeling you get when your feet fall asleep… but …pleasant. And all over. As if, instead of millions of tiny needles, they were sweet tiny vibrations on each cell of your body. You opened your eyes to see your body coated in a glistening cyan blue light…. And floating.

… _Floating?_

You landed in Sans's padded arms with a soft _fwop._ Your eyes instantly shot to his eye sockets, only to jump slightly when you saw them already on you.  
Then he winked.

He freaking _winked._

You're almost sure he could hear your heart beat drumming against your ribs. Oh my god. You could feel your ears burning with every second he stared more.

"S….Sans?"

He cleared his nonexistent throat. "yeah?"

"…Can you p-p-please put me down?"

"no."

"…What?"

"no."

"B-b-but I'm too heav –"

 **"no."** Sans punctuated the single word with a light squeeze around you with his large arms. It was as if that semi shy short skeleton from the grocery store had been switched with a blunt and flirty skeleton.  
 _'This is how I die.'_

"But – "

"i said _**no**_ ," Sans muttered. He pulled your body closer to his as if you weighed nothing. Leaning down, he pressed his face into the side of your neck. A large inhaling sound erupted from him and flowed through his nonexistent lungs, then released a deep sigh that brushed warmly against your skin, leaving you covered in goosebumps. "you're too soft to let go."

 _"OOOHH BABY!"_ Undyne's earth-shattering wolf whistle and Alphys's snapping sounds of her cell camera broke your blushing trance. Your hands shot up to your blindingly red cheeks and hid them from the world. **Please, no.**

You could feel Undyne's finny hands grip your sensitive sides and pull, making you squeak. "Now as much fun as this is to see, I'mma take my lil' Human Honey so Alphie and I ca –"

 **"n o,"** Sans growled darkly and nearly yanked you back to him, wrapping his arms tightly around you and crushed you to his chest. The room seemed to grow silent. Fizzing, popping sounds snapped near your ears and the tingly feeling you felt before started up again, but …different.

Threatening.

You didn't like this.

"What was that, bonehead?" Undyne seemed to have sensed the same air, but she gave no fucks. All that concerned Undyne was that Sans denied her access to her and her girlfriend's best friend. She wouldn't stand for it. What the fuck is his deal?  
Papyrus was whimpering in the back, chewing on the tips of his gloves. He didn't like his brother like this.. whatever _this_ is.  
Alphys had stopped snapping the cute pictures and had begun hiding behind the end of a nearby couch.

Frisk and Manny were slowly inching closer to you and Sans, despite the crackling air of danger. Frisk crawled closer to get ready to calm down the fuming and growling Sans in case he got out of hand. Manny crawled closer in fear for his sister.

Sans only replied with a low hiss. He raised his face away from your neck slightly, enough to show off his ferociously glowing eye socket. Undyne's pissed off demeanor melted into shock. Her single golden eye went south to his chest… then yours. At this point, you honestly could not be any more embarrassed, so you didn't care. You were just curious as to what the hell was going on. Why was this person, who you literally just met today, hugging you like you were about to disappear and growling over you like a dog and a piece of meat.

"Oh.. my …God…" she drawled, a slow smile stretching across her blue scaly face. You were about to question her before you began noticing everyone else follow in her metaphoric footsteps. All around the room littered confused and hurt faces that melted into all-knowing smiles. Toriel, who had entered the room minutes ago, slapped her paws onto her mouth and muffled her delighted giggles. Her beautiful brown eyes were filling up with unshed tears of pride as she glanced lovingly at you and Sans. Papyrus began bouncing up and down in place, eyes as wide as saucers. Manny and Frisk were giving you stares as they exchanged giggles and whispers, as if they were gossiping about the two of you. Alphys's entire face was a dark red as she fangirled in a corner, shaking with excitement and violently whispering "I SHIP IT, I SHIP IT, I SHIP IT" to herself.

What the _hell_ is everybody looking at?!

"oh….oh god. ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod," Sans breathed heavily, dropping his vice grip off you as if you burned him. Sans quickly backed up into a table and fell onto his backside with a _clank_. He didn't seem to even care. Thick bone fingers clawed at his face as he heaved. Sweat beaded across his skull.

"i –" his voice cracked, "im _so so sorry,_ _. everyone. i d-d-dont know, no i mean i – i shouldnt have, why did i…. _how_ did i –"

You hugged him. As weird as all that had been, you literally couldn't stand to see him so… freaked out. You had to shut him up before he babbled himself out of existence. You couldn't just let him suffer so badly. "I-I-I forg-give you, Sans." You squeezed your arms around his neck in a comforting hug. "I …I'm not r-r-really sure what you …what you did, b-b-but … I forgive y-y-you."

The room stayed completely silent, besides the heavy sobbing from the chubby skeleton who had yet again clung to you in desperation, yet a more comforting kind. You gently ran your fingers across the back of his skull, shushing him as he buried his face once again into your neck to muffle his sobs. Nearly ten minutes later you realized that he had finished but hadn't moved from his position. Twitching your ear, you could faintly hear the sound of cluttered chatter and laughing from Toriel's kitchen.  
It seemed that they decided to give you two space. How thoughtful.

Patting his back lightly, you shuffled to stand up from your crouched position. God, your legs were sore. "Hey, Sans? Let's join everyone, okay?"

You heard a muffled answer in agreement and helped him up, pulling his oddly heavy arm. At a snap of the fingers, Sans's demeanor shot back to his smirking goofy self as if he hadn't just been bawling in your arms three seconds ago. "guess i should _tear_ ya away from my rugged good looks, eh?"

You weren't sure whether to laugh your heart out at his odd pun or blush at the fact that he may or may not had found out about your weird growing crush on the guy.

So you decided to do both.

"hey, hey," he chuckled with you, putting a bony wide hand on your shoulder as the two of you walked towards the kitchen, "i know im ugly but its nothing to _cry_ about."

"No, no!" you gasped, still giggling but all the while trying to be serious. Did he really think that? "You're not ugly!"

He turned his skull away as a sarcastic sounding chuckle left his teeth.

You stopped walking in your tracks, staring at him. Sans nearly toppled over when you stopped walking, his hand was still on your shoulder and he nearly fell face first into the pretty wooden floor. He shot his eye sockets in your direction in question but changed appearance when he saw your face.  
Your brows were settled in a tense line as were your lips. You… really weren't happy. How could he think that? Well, sure, you always thought that about yourself… you guessed that made you a hypocrite. But… you couldn't let anyone else think so lowly about themselves. They deserved more. _He_ deserved more.

"Sans. You are not ugly. I promise."

Sans seemed to stare at you for the longest time as that weird blue color spread over his face again.  
"i – i, uh, well –"

"OMIGOSH _ WE'RE TOTALLY GOING TO WATCH THE MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE MOVIE I BROUGHT OVER AFTER DINNER OMIGOSH!" Alphys clanked into the room waving a colorful DVD case covered in desperate claw marks maniacally in the air in front of you. You were both glad and upset for her breaking the awkward tension between you and Sans.

Ah, your nerdy hero.

"Oh geez, really?!" As embarrassed as you were for her to loudly share your obsessions with the public (or especially Sans), you couldn't contain your bubbling excitement in binging the show with your best friend. It wasn't every day you had a chance like this, with all the responsibilities you had to take on every day.

"Really!" She seemed to be just as hyped as you were feeling and wrapped her yellow claws around your wrist. Dragging you to the kitchen so you two could quickly eat and watch your show like a couple of nerds.

Sans just smiled and trudged behind you and the squealing dino dragging you.


End file.
